1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of the present invention relates to a secondary battery.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, unlike primary batteries which are not rechargeable, secondary batteries can be charged and discharged. Low-capacity secondary batteries are widely employed in electronic devices such as cellular phones, laptop computers, and camcorders while large-capacity secondary batteries are typically used for driving motors of electric automobiles or hybrid automobiles.
When battery cells are used in electric automobiles in particular, a problem associated with limited power capacity may arise. To address the problem, a battery pack which includes a plurality of battery cells connected to each other in series/parallel has been proposed. In such a battery pack having a number of interconnected battery cells, the overall voltage of the battery pack can be increased. Further, the battery pack can be configured to have various capacities and voltages according to the number of battery cells connected to each other, thereby improving versatility in terms of capacity and voltage outputs.
Since the battery pack outputs a relatively high voltage, when operators conduct a maintenance work or the like, measures for ensuring operator safety are desirable.